Like Ice and Water
by artemisfang
Summary: Gruvia (GrayxJuvia) fanfiction. Long ago, Erza told Gray he should sort out his feelings for Juvia. Maybe the day has finally come for him to do just that.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N_: Hi guys! Welcome to my second Fairy Tail fanfic, _Like Ice and Water_. Some of you may have read my first Fairy Tail fanfic, _New Beginnings_. I mentioned Gruvia a little bit there, but since I love them so much, I decided they deserved their own fanfic! While this takes place in the same "world" as _New Beginnings_—that is, I assume in this story that the events of _New Beginnings _have taken place—you don't need to read it to understand _Like Ice and Water_. You're perfectly free to read it if you want to anyway, of course. LoLu _are _an awesome couple, after all. Anyway, without further ado, I present to you: Chapter 1 of _Like Ice and Water_! ~artemisfang

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.

"Juvia's body is made of water! Physical attacks cannot harm her," Juvia intoned. She considered the creature before her, wondering if could understand her. It was some kind of jellyfish and centipede hybrid that had been terrorizing a village for almost a month now. They had finally posted a request to guilds to deal with it, and Juvia had accepted it. She always preferred to go on missions with her precious Gray-sama, but sometimes she did need to earn money for living expenses.

Juvia sighed as the creature's leg-like tentacles swept towards, cutting through her again. It was time to end this. "Water Nebula!" The creature let out an odd sound between a roar and a yelp, but it kept standing. "Water Cane!" A blast of water whipped the creature, and it toppled onto its side. Juvia felt a rush of joy as she realized she had defeated her opponent. Each job completely successfully meant the betterment of Fairy Tail's reputation. Juvia always loved being able to help Fairy Tail. If only Gray-sama was here to see her victory! Regardless, she needed to collect her reward and return to the guild. Maybe Gray-sama would be back from his mission by now. Luckily, he had left her love rivals, Lucy and Erza, behind. Love rivals! A purple cloud surrounded Juvia as she marched into the office of town's mayor. He looked at her, wide-eyed and trembling.

"Oh! Juvia is sorry. Juvia defeated the monster," Juvia informed him.

The mayor stopped crouching behind his desk. "Thank you very much! We very much appreciate your kindness. We thought we wouldn't be able to harvest the crops with the creature attacking us every time we got near the fields. Please, accept this as your reward." He handed her an envelope, which Juvia graciously accepted.

Fairy Tail was only half a day's walk from this town, so Juvia set out along the dirt path leading back to Magnolia. She stared up at the sky, a brilliant blue. Clear skies! For so many years, she had believed she would never see clear skies. She had thought that Phantom Lord, which accepted her only because of her strength and would have tossed her out in a moment had she lost a battle, was her only choice. Then she had met Gray-sama, and Fairy Tail, and her life had changed forever. Now she could look at the blue skies and sunlight whenever she wanted.

"You tryin' to figure out what that cloud is shaped like?" A voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia turned to look at the shirtless figure to her right, who had just exited a forest. She decided not to point out his loss of clothing.

"Hey. You on your way back from a mission?"

"Mm. Juvia took on a small job at the town back there. She defeated a monster that was plaguing them." Juvia wrinkled her nose. "It had too many tentacles and beady eyes for Juvia's taste."

Gray laughed. "That reminds me of the supposed mole-creature Lucy, Natsu, Erza and I took on. You going back to the guild now? I'll walk back with you."

_Ah! It's like a date. Just me and Gray-sama. Alone. Together. Anything could happen! _A blush crept onto Juvia's cheeks. "Yes. Juvia would like that very much."

Gray walked with his hands tucked into his pockets, seeming totally at ease. For a while they chatted about light-hearted things: the goings-on at the guild and in Magnolia, and Natsu's latest challenge to Gildarts, in which he had lasted for a record-breaking five minutes. Juvia enjoyed talking to Gray-sama, but there was something weighing on her mind that she had never gotten the opportunity to ask him. "Gray-sama, may I ask you something?"

"Huh?" Gray arched an eyebrow. "Sure, what's up?"

Juvia looked down at the ground. "Why were you so kind to Juvia when you first met her? Juvia was an enemy who was hurting Fairy Tail. But you were never cruel to Juvia, and you never tried to seriously harm her. You accepted Juvia as a member of Fairy Tail so quickly, too. You were the first person to be so kind to Juvia, even though everyone at Fairy Tail is lovely. Why?"

Gray looked at her out of the side of his eyes. "Haven't I told you before? I don't like needlessly hurting people. No one at Fairy Tail does. And we all believe that people deserve a second chance. I could sense that you weren't a bad person."

Juvia's eyes had filled with tears. "Well, Juvia thanks you. You changed Juvia's life for the better, and Juvia will always be grateful."

Gray was taken aback. He had become mostly used to Juvia's obsessiveness, and didn't flinch when she mentioned something about thirty babies or love rivals. It had all become par for course. Seeing Juvia sincere and vulnerable was something else, though. It had a different effect on him, one he couldn't quite place. Gray scratched the back of his head. "It's not a big deal or nothin'. You don't have to cry about it."

"It is a big deal to Juvia," Juvia said solemnly.

"Yeah…well…yeah…" Gray looked away, not sure what to say.

"Soon it will be the anniversary of when Juvia joined Fairy Tail. Would Gray-sama like to celebrate with Juvia?" Juvia tilted her head as she looked at him, her eyes full of hope.

Some heat found its way to Gray's face. "Err, celebrate? Um, how?"

"Juvia thought Juvia and Gray-sama could go out and eat at the new restaurant in Magnolia," Juvia suggested. She had been trying to find a justification for this for months, and one had finally occurred to her.

"Just us? Shouldn't we involve Fairy Tail if we're celebrating you joining?"

"Since it is thanks to you that Juvia joined, Juvia would like to be just us," Juvia confirmed.

Gray looked everywhere but at Juvia. Usually he'd tell her he was busy, or just tell Mira to throw a party and escape it that way—Fairy Tail never turned down a chance to party—but something was stopping him today. He couldn't place his finger on why, but he found himself saying, "Yeah, sure, I guess."

Juvia clapped, a smile brightening her face. "Juvia is so happy to hear that! Juvia cannot wait."

Gray rubbed the back of his neck. "When are we doing this, anyway?"

"Tomorrow night at 6 o'clock would be good, don't you think? Ah! It's a date with Gray-sama!" Juvia's eyes were filled with hearts, and Gray was slightly worried she might pass out from joy in the middle of the path.

"Yeah, sure, whatever, I guess. I'll see you then. Uh, I gotta take care of something though so I uh…gotta go. Bye!" With that Gray fled the scene, still trying to unravel why he had even agreed to their so-called date—not that it was actually a date!—in the first place. Well, it couldn't be too bad, right? He'd just show up, eat some food, talk to Juvia…she could be good company when she wanted to be, so long as she didn't try anything creepy, like wearing clothes with his face sewn onto them. Juvia was a strong mage, tough as nails, yet she had a heart that truly loved her nakama. There was plenty to respect her for. That was all this celebration was about, right? Honoring one of his nakama. Nothing more. Of course it wasn't! But even as Gray distracted himself by ordering Natsu to toe the line, and subsequently getting into a fight with him, he couldn't shake the feeling there was something more at play.


	2. Chapter 2

"Gray! You're leaving already?" Gray turned around and caught a smiling Mira, wiping down a beer glass.

Gray had been hoping that no one would notice his leaving. He didn't want to have to answer any questions. _Just play it cool_, he thought, _I'm good at that, after all. _"Uh, yeah. Got things to do. I'll be by tomorrow. See you then!"

"Put your clothes on first?" Mira suggested, as she waved.

"Ack!" Gray retrieved his clothes from a nearby table and headed out the guild doors. He hadn't seen Juvia at the guild all day, which was potentially worrying. Who knew what she was doing in preparation for their da—no, celebration.

Gray set out on the path to the restaurant on the edge of town. It was a new restaurant, set up alongside the river. It was supposed to be the height of seafood cuisine. Appropriate for a water mage, Gray supposed. The best part was that it was nowhere near the guild, so it was unlikely he'd run into someone from Fairy Tail. If anyone like, heaven forbid, Happy, saw him and Juvia, he'd never hear the end of it. It would only spur Juvia on further if she had support for her ridiculous ideas. And he couldn't stand for that, right? The question went unanswered in his own mind.

"Gray-sama!" Gray raised one hand in greeting to Juvia. Wait, where had his shirt and jacket gone? "Juvia picked up your clothes. Juvia thinks you should probably wear clothes in the restaurant."

Gray accepted his clothes. "Right. Thanks, Juvia. I—woah." Suddenly it dawned on him what Juvia had been doing all day. He wasn't sure he had even seen her wear makeup, but there were the faintest traces of it on her face. She had styled her hair, keeping it down but letting it fall in gentle curls. She had even picked out a new dress. It was blue, of course, as all of her clothing was, but it was a lighter shade. The dress stopped just above her knees and had a lace ruffle running along the hem. There was no denying that she looked good. "Uh, that looks good on you."

Juvia beamed. "Juvia picked this out especially for Gray-sama!"

_Here we go_, Gray thought, returning to reality. _Better get this over with. _"Shall we go in?"

Juvia nodded. "Juvia already made reservations for us. She got us an outside table!"

"The weather is nice for that, isn't it?" Gray agreed as they walked inside and checked in. _Wait, an outside table means a higher likelihood of being seen! Darn it…_

By the time their appetizers had come, though, Gray had forgotten about that. Juvia chattered away, asking Gray questions about life in the guild before she had joined, and laughing at all the stories he told. Gray found himself relaxing. This wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it might be. He might even be enjoying himself.

"Is Gray-sama glad Juvia joined Fairy Tail?" Juvia asked just after they placed their orders for dessert.

"Yeah, of course. You've been a great addition to Fairy Tail. You're almost an S-class level mage, and you have the spirit of a Fairy Tail mage. Everyone's been glad to have you."

Juvia nodded. "Juvia is glad that everyone has been so accepted. But Juvia asked about you, not everyone else."

_This lady thinks of everything, doesn't she? _Gray thought. Juvia was watching him intently. For some reason, words were having a hard time coming out of his mouth. _Why did she have to put me on the spot like this? _"Even though you act kinda weird sometimes, yeah, I'm glad you joined Fairy Tail. It wouldn't be the same without you at this point." _There, she can't take that too extremely._

Juvia's cheeks were flushed, and she had clasped her hands under her chin. Clearly, she had drifted off into a daydream. Gray sighed and looked out towards the river as he waited for it to pass. What he saw made him do a double take. Loke and Lucy were strolling slowly along the riverside, engrossed in conversation. Why were they here? Right, Lucy lived on the opposite side of the river. Loke was probably walking her home, as he always did. How could he have forgotten about that? Well, they were always so wrapped up in each other, there was no way they'd notice him…

Gray tried to look away from the river so as not to draw attention, but he kept peeking back over there anyway. Just as they had about passed, Lucy stopped walking, breathlessly laughing. When she looked up, she glanced towards the restaurant. Loke made some comment to her, then they both looked towards it. It was only then they noticed Gray and Juvia. Lucy's jaw dropped, and Loke raised both of his eyebrows. _Great. Now that Loke's noticed, he'll definitely ask me about this next time we're in the guild. If only he wasn't constantly attached to Lucy's side, I might be able to evade him for a while…_

Lucy looked up at Loke, asking him something, and they both turned away. Just as Gray was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he saw Loke wink at him and flash him a thumbs up.

"Are you alright, Gray-sama?" Juvia asked. She had finally broken out of her daydream. "Did something happen?"

Gray shook his head, perhaps a bit too quickly. "No. Nothin' happened. Oh, look, here's dessert. Doesn't that look good?"

"Juvia loves chocolate!" Juvia announced.

They managed to finish their meal without any more interruptions, either from guild members or Juvia's far-flung imaginations. They watched the sun slip over the horizon together—or at least, Juvia watched Gray as he contemplated the golden glow of the sky.

Finally, Gray turned back to Juvia. "So don't take this the wrong way or nothin', but I got you something."

Juvia instantly perked up. "Gray-sama got Juvia a gift?"

Gray wrinkled his nose as he looked at the ground, then returned his gaze to Juvia. "It's a celebration, right? So, here." From his pocket, he produced a miniature bouquet of roses, made of shimmering ice, the Fairy Tail insignia acting as a pin to keep them together. "Don't worry. It won't melt on you. Should last a while, longer than regular flowers."

The second he saw Juvia's face light up, Gray realized that his "get her a gift so it seems like a celebration not a date" logic had gone terribly, terribly awry. Juvia's eyes were filled with tears, and she exclaimed, "This the best gift Juvia has ever received! Thank you, Gray-sama!"

Gray raised his hands. "Oi, oi. It's just some ice flowers. Not a big deal." Still, the sincerity of her words got to him. How many gifts had she received in her life? At a guess, he'd say not many. And she was cute when she got all happy, as she was now, hugging them to herself. Not that he cared about how she looked.

"Juvia will remember this night forever," Juvia declared.

Gray tried to ignore the heat he could feel on his face. "Yeah, well. The food was pretty good."

The waiter came for the check then, providing Gray a welcome escape. As Juvia got up to leave, she said, "I'll see you at the guild tomorrow, Gray-sama. Maybe we can go on a mission together?"

_Just what exactly does she think is going on here? _Gray thought. But still, somehow, he didn't want to see a crestfallen Juvia, so he said, "Maybe, we'll see."

Juvia smiled. It wasn't a crazed, maniac smile, nor a ridiculous one that indicated she had soared into dreamland. No, it was just a simple smile. "Thank you for the lovely night, Gray-sama." With that, Juvia left, still clutching the ice roses Gray had given her.

"You too," Gray muttered when she was out of earshot, as he pushed his chair back. "You too, Juvia."

_A/N_: And there it is! Chapter 2. Juvia and Gray have such an interesting (and, as an author, fun!) dynamic to write. I rather enjoy it. Well, that's why this fanfic exists, right? At any rate, see you in Chapter 3! Feel free to let me know what you think so far. :) ~artemisfang


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Gray peered into the guild before entering, trying to assess the lay of the land.

Macao, Wakaba, Max, and Warren were having an animated conversation about some article—Gray didn't want to guess what kind—in the Weekly Sorcerer. Hearing "what would I do for a behind the scenes of that photo spread!" made Gray roll his eyes and turn his attention elsewhere.

Jet and Droy were watching dejectedly as Levy animatedly explained something in a dusty old book to Gajeel, who appeared to be utterly baffled and impressed.

Laxus was arguing with Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen about what job they should pick, although Evergreen kept glancing over to where Elfman was chatting with Lisanna.

Wendy was turning bright red as a mostly drunk Cana rambled on about something that, if Gray was a betting man, he would bet was entirely age inappropriate.

Erza was daintily eating strawberry cake while talking to an encloaked figure. Were Gray less privy to Fairy Tail top secret information, he would say the figure was Mystogan.

Gray breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he was in the clear. Just then, he heard Loke's unmistakable voice say, "Please, Natsu, don't burn my pants again."

Natsu raised a flame covered fist. "But you're in my way!"

"And how, precisely, am I in your way?" Loke's voice was still lighthearted, but Gray noticed one of his fists was starting to glow.

"I want to go on a mission with Lucy!" Natsu declared.

"Aye sir!" Happy agreed.

Loke raised an eyebrow. "How am I stopping you from that?"

"You've been on three missions with Lucy already this month."

"Well, that's because-"

"Behave, both of you." Lucy turned to face them both. "Natsu, I'll go on a job with you soon, I promise. Celestial Spirit wizards always keep their promises, remember? Loke, don't we have somewhere to be?"

"We do, yes." Loke slipped out of his chair and offered his arm to Lucy, who accepted it. As she left her seat, she revealed the person she had been deep in conversation with before.

Juvia.

Oh, no.

If he made a run for it now, maybe he could escape before anyone noticed him.

"Gray." Lucy's voice reached him, quiet but firm. It was too late. "Juvia is really excited and happy right now after last night. She really thinks you reciprocate her feelings."

"Don't mess with her feelings, okay?" Loke added.

Gray snorted. "That's rich, coming from you." Despite how close they were, the playboy side of Loke's personality had never appealed to Gray.

Loke glanced at Lucy, then adjusted his glasses and smiled slightly. "Some things are worth changing for. I'm serious, Gray."

They left him with that, and Gray nearly stomped his foot in frustration. Bastards! What had they left him to deal with?

Juvia was still sitting at the bar, staring off into empty space. No doubt she was indulging herself in one of her fantasies. The phrases Gray caught her muttering during or after them were always a bit extreme, to say the least.

Taking a deep breath, Gray strode into the guild, in the direction of the Request Board. Maybe he could just pretend like he was here for work and slip out before...

"Good morning, Gray-sama."

"Hey, Juvia," Gray said without turning around.

"Um, Gray-sama?"

Gray steadied himself and turned to look at her. She was fidgeting, pushing her fingers together and looking nervous. "Um, Juvia had a good time last night."

Gray scratched the back of his head. "That's good to hear."

"So Juvia was wondering if...if...Gray-sama would like to spend time with Juvia this weekend?"

Mira had stopped cleaning glasses and was listening in on this most interesting development. In fact, it seemed that the Thunder God Tribe had too, except for Ever. Happy, perched atop Natsu's head, was also looking in their direction. Great. Gray was done for.

He realized that the longer he stood here, mouth agape, Juvia staring at him intently, the worse it was getting. _Just tell her no as harshly as possible and be done with it! _Juvia had a slightly nervous but still cute smile, and her eyes looked like her entire life's dream was on the line with his response. "Sure, I guess," he found himself saying.

Juvia nearly fainted from happiness. "Juvia is so excited! Everything is going to happen as Juvia planned. Ahhh! Juvia has to start getting ready now. Juvia will see you at 5 o'clock Saturday outside Fairy Hills. Bye, Gray-sama!" Juvia raced out the guild doors.

Gray blinked several times. "What...what just happened?"

"You got yourself a date. Like a man!" Elfman declared.

"Idiot! She was the one who asked him out. That doesn't make him a man," Ever corrected him.

Gray sank into a seat as half the guild burst into an argument. Why hadn't he just deflected her, as he always did? What was this weird feeling he got around her, as of late? He'd respected her from the start, and he'd cared about her as nakama once she joined Fairy Tail. But this was something else.

Deciding the best route was not to think about it, Gray leapt out of his seat and marched over the Request Board. He grabbed the first in-town job he saw, thrust the paper at Mira for her approval, and left the guild as fast as he could, ignoring all the jeers and provocative yells. Right now, a job was exactly what he needed to take his mind off everything.

This plan worked well for several hours, but when the old lady he had been helping finally let him go, Gray realized he'd have to go back to the guild to let Mira know he'd finished the job. Sighing, he made his way over there, purposefully taking a path that avoided Fairy Hills. Hands shoved in his pockets, he contemplated whether there was any way he could survive skipping his plans with Juvia tomorrow. Because that's what he wanted, right? Not to go on an actual date.

The guild was quieter now. Inside, he found Lucy telling Natsu, "I'll meet you at noon tomorrow and we'll pick out a job, okay? Just the two of us, and Happy, for old times' sake!"

"Sounds great. See ya then, Lucy!" Natsu grinned, any anger from that morning long forgotten.

"Aye, sir!" Happy agreed.

Lucy smiled too as she shrugged on her jacket. "Good luck on your date tomorrow," she said with a wink as she walked past Gray.

"You too?" he asked weakly, but she had already disappeared into the night.

"I really think you should give Juvia a chance. She's a sweet girl and she really loves you," Mira declared as Gray handed her the request.

Mira herself was as lovely and well-intentioned as they come, but Gray wasn't sure he could trust her dating advice. "Request completed," was all he said.

Mira accepted, then tucked her hands against her cheek. "Just imagine what cute babies you two would have! Powerful ones, too, with two nearly S-class level mages for parents, plus ice and water do go so well together, and…"

"Someone save me," Gray backed away slowly as Mira kept rambling. He made a dash for the door, ignoring Natsu's challenge to fight him, and escaped into the cool night air. Mira's comments still rang in his ears, and though no one could see it, Gray Fullbuster, lifelong bachelor and king of hiding emotions, was blushing at the ideas Mira had proposed.

_A/N_: You're free to imagine as many hearts in Juvia's eyes when Gray accepted her date as you want. I certainly did :P Juvia is a really interesting character to write, so I'm having a lot of fun with that. And the guild never ceases to amuse me. Well, until next chapter, guys! ~artemisfang


	4. Chapter 4

At 5 o'clock on Saturday, Gray found himself walking up the path to Fairy Hills. He had managed to keep busy and avoid conversation at the guild for the past few days. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy were still out on their mission, which would be more helpful if the rumor hadn't already spread around the guild. The completely true rumor, which was the worst part about it.

"Hi, Gray-sama."

Gray looked up from the rock he'd been kicking in front of him as he walked. Then he did a double take. "Juvia? You're wearing…a bathing suit?" It wasn't one he had ever seen on her before. It had to be at least twice as skimpy as anything he'd ever seen her in.

Juvia nodded. "Juvia wore this one especially for Gray-sama. Lucy-san lent it to her for this occasion." Gray made a mental note of this. _Lucy, I am going to kill you when you get back. _

"So, we're going swimming?" Gray was doing his very best to avoid commenting on the bikini, although he was having a difficult time keeping his eyes off it.

"No love rival can beat Juvia in the water! Juvia will always prevail."

Gray accepted this logic. "Well, I didn't bring a swimsuit."

Juvia beamed brightly. "Juvia does not mind if you wear your birthday suit."

"Juvia!" Gray couldn't keep the redness from rushing to his face.

Seeming slightly deflated, Juvia allowed, "Or your underwear, which Gray-sama is already in."

Gray looked down, and sure enough, his clothes had vanished. He shrugged. "Fair enough, I guess. Where are we swimming?"

Juvia grabbed his hand and starting pulled him along. _When did she get this bold? _Gray wondered as he stared at their clasped hands. Her hand was cool and soft against his own, and he could almost feel the joy and happiness radiating out from her. By the time he thought to pull his hand out from her grasp, they had reached the ocean side.

"Does Gray-sama remember when he challenged the horizon as his rival?" Juvia asked. "Juvia still feels bad about that…"

"Yeah, and I ended up at Gualano Island again. Couldn't get the Chief off me for like half an hour after I showed up." Gray rolled his eyes.

Juvia smiled at him. "Juvia wants to show you something. Hold still while Juvia uses her magic to—"

Gray backed up a few steps, remembering her Wings of Love attack from the Grand Magic Games. He didn't particularly want her to try something like that on him. "Juvia, I think you should—" A bubble of water enveloped Gray's head, and he flailed his arms.

"Do not worry. Juvia has just made it so you can breathe underwater. Come here, Gray-sama!" Juvia tugged on his hand again, pulling him into the ocean.

It became quickly clear to Gray that Juvia had put a lot of thought and effort into this date. She gave him a tour of an underwater world he never could have dreamed of. It was beautiful, and she looked perfectly at home. Her hair floated around her, framing her face as she laughed, a trail of bubbles surrounding her. _When she's like this, she's beautiful, _Gray thought. Here, underwater, she put some kind of spell on him, but it wasn't using magic.

When they finally surfaced, Gray couldn't stop smiling. He couldn't remember the last time he felt like this. Fairy Tail provided endless entertainment (either that, or endless possible death and destruction), but even there he did not laugh this much.

"Thanks, Juvia. That was actually really cool of you."

"Juvia is so glad Gray-sama liked it! Juvia skipped meals for two days while she planned it. She wanted it to be perfect." Juvia sighed happily.

Gray's eyes bugged out. "Two days? That's not healthy at all." Of course, nothing about her obsession with him was healthy. Right. Her obsession with him. That thought dragged him back to reality.

Juvia shrugged. "Juvia does not mind. Juvia is fine. But Gray-sama cares about her! Juvia is happy to hear this."

Gray sighed. "Of course I care about you. But you can't go doing things like that." He started walking towards the shore. The smile was gone from his face as he remembered the reason exactly _why _he had never agreed to a date with Juvia before. Suddenly, he froze. Behind him, he heard tears. Juvia was collapsed in the water, hands over her face. "J-Juvia?" he asked.

Juvia made a few gulping noises before she spoke. "J-Juvia does not want to freak Gray-sama out. Lucy-san told Juvia that Juvia should try to tone it down a little, to act more normal. Juvia has never known how to act normal. Juvia has never _been _normal." Juvia sniffed, wiping the tears from her face. "Fairy Tail has been the first place where Juvia has felt normal enough. Juvia wants to be good enough for Gray-sama. Juvia does not know how else to communicate her feelings, but Juvia does not want to see Gray-sama upset. What should Juvia do?"

Gray stared, wide-eyed, at the girl before him. Except for feelings of extreme love, Juvia didn't talk about her feelings much. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He bowed his head, then knelt down next to her, putting one of her arms around his shoulder and lifting her up. "Let's get you dressed and then we'll get you something to eat."

"Gray-sama?" Juvia looked up at him, her eyes sparkling. Her voice was quiet.

Gray didn't look at her. "Your room is in the Fairy Hills dorm, right? There should still be some places open this late. And if there aren't, I'm sure Mira will make you something. Let's go."

For a second, Juvia almost questioned his motives again, but then she nodded. "Mm. Okay. Juvia will follow Gray-sama's suggestion."

"And Juvia?"

"Yes, Gray-sama?"

"I don't mind how you express your feelings, but never hurt yourself needlessly again. Got it?" Gray still wouldn't meet her gaze. He just kept walking forwards.

"Juvia understands."

The rest of the night, Gray was quiet. He walked Juvia back to Fairy Hills, waited until she changed, then took her to a small restaurant nearby. He even paid for her meal. Every question Juvia asked was met with a one or two word question, so she too soon fell into silence. Gray propped up his chin with one hand and stared out the window, seemingly deep in thought. When Juvia finished eating, he walked alongside her, hands in his pocket, until they got to Fairy Hills.

"Thank you for taking care of Juvia," Juvia said uncertainly.

Gray nodded. His hair had fallen over his eyes, obscuring them. "Yeah."

"Juvia will see Gray-sama soon? She hopes?"

Gray turned around and waved as he walked away. "Yeah. Take care, Juvia."

Juvia clutched her hands to her chest as she watched him disappear into the distance. "Juvia hopes everything is okay with Gray-sama…" she murmured to herself.

_A/N: _Ooh, mood change for Gray. I was thinking a lot of the moment in the Lullaby arc where Gray tells everyone they should value their lives a little bit more. Things are definitely going to happen in the next chapter (not that they didn't in this one :P).

For those of you who read _New Beginnings_, you may notice that there, I focused a lot on what happened after Lucy/Loke got together, because the main issue with their potential relationship, logistically, is how they could possibly survive long term as a couple. Here, I'm focusing a lot more about how Gray/Juvia might actually get together, because that's a lot bigger of a hurdle for them, I think. And how they get together will really affect how their relationship plays out in the long run. Alright, enough ship-musing from me. See ya in the next chapter! ~artemisfang


	5. Chapter 5

"Has anyone seen Gray-sama recently?" Juvia asked at the guild. It was Wednesday, four days after their supposed date.

Lucy shook her head as she took a sip of her drink. "I haven't seen him around, but then again, Natsu and I only just got back yesterday. After he destroyed half the building we were supposed to be guarding. My rent money…" Lucy's head sunk into her hands, and Loke patted her on the back.

Mira's head popped up from beneath the bar counter. "I wouldn't worry about Gray. He took a job in Clover on Sunday, and it's supposed to last for a week. I'm sure he's doing just fine." Mira flashed them all a smile.

"Gray-sama is supposed to be gone for a week?" Juvia frowned.

Lucy gave her a concerned look. The water mage hadn't opened up about how the 'date' had gone—she'd just muttered something about Lucy being a love rival and brushed past her when Lucy came back. According to Mira, anyone who asked about the date had received a deadly glare from Juvia. When Bickslow had teased her about it, she'd destroyed all of his dolls in one blow.

"Juvia will take a job, too," she announced.

"Sure! Pick whichever one you want," Mira gave her an extra-bright smile as she maneuvered past tables with a platter of pitchers in her hand.

"I wonder what happened," Lucy said to Loke as they watched her stalk over to the Request Board.

"It does make you curious, doesn't it?"

Lucy nodded as she stared at Juvia's former seat. As Juvia left the building, it began to rain.

XxXxX

Juvia finished her job in two days, but upon discovering that Gray had still not returned, elected to pout in her room rather than facing the guild.

"Drip, drip, drop," she muttered as she swung open the door to her room.

"Hey, Juvia," said a voice from her bed.

Juvia's eyes grew wide. "Gray-sama is shirtless on Juvia's bed! Gray-sama broke into Juvia's house. Not Lucy's. Juvia's! And he is on Juvia's bed!"

"That's not the point," Gray said with a sigh.

Juvia tried to compose herself. "Why is Gray-sama here?"

Gray leaned back and looked around the room. "It's a nice place you've got here. Though the doll's freakin' me out." He glanced towards the doll, which resembled him a bit too closely for his taste.

"Juvia tried hard to decorate her room nicely. But Juvia is still wondering why Gray-sama has come here. She thought Gray-sama had a job." Juvia looked at the ground. "Juvia missed Gray-sama and felt like he ran away from her." Tears fell from Juvia's eyes.

Gray nodded. "I needed to get away from everything. Get some space. I didn't want Squinty Eyes pickin' fights or Lucy asking me questions I didn't want to answer."

"Gray-sama needed to get away from Juvia?" Juvia's tears were about to flood the entire building.

Gray scratched the back of his head. "I just needed to think about some stuff. You know I don't really like to talk about feelings."

Juvia's tears stopped. "Gray-sama has feelings for Juvia?" she concluded.

"Something like that," Gray said, his hands still shoved in his pockets.

"Juvia cannot believe this is actually happening! Juvia must be dreaming!" Juvia tackle hugged Gray, knocking him backwards. A blush crept onto her cheeks. "Because…because…Juvia loves Gray-sama!"

Gray was also colored red, especially now that Juvia was on top of him. "Oi, lady…" He wasn't quite ready for the love word.

Juvia reached down and gently touched Gray's face with one hand. Her eyes were shining, the most brilliant blue color Gray had ever seen, bluer than the oceans themselves. He had never seen her smile like this before.

"You look…" he began, and then Juvia's lips were on his. For a moment his eyes went wide with shock, but then he allowed himself to kiss her back. Despite her crazy obsessiveness, Juvia was soft and gentle, even a little bit hesitant.

"Juvia can die happy now," Juvia said simply. Gray was half convinced the flush was never going to leave her cheeks.

"What did I tell you about valuing your life?" Gray said, weakly. His whole world was still spinning.

"Juvia's life is complete now," Juvia amended.

"That was nice," Gray admitted.

Juvia stood up and yanked Gray off the bed. "Juvia must inform the guild that Gray-sama is hers now!"

"Wait, don't you think that—" _Man, she's strong, _Gray thought, as he found himself being pulled out the door. There was no stopping Juvia now.

Somehow, in the journey from Fairy Hills to Fairy Tail, Gray lost the remainder of his clothes, except for his underpants. When Juvia , who was fully clinging to his arm now, pushed open the guild doors, she wasted no time in saying, "Gray-sama is Juvia's and no love rival shall ever threaten their relationship ever again!"

"Gray, your clothes?" asked Mira, while everyone else stared at the couple. There was a moment of silence as everyone waited for Gray to reject Juvia's statement. When he didn't, whoops and cheers filled the air.

Wakaba asked, "After all this time, she wore him down, huh? Women…"

"I wouldn't let your wife hear that, Wakaba…" Macao raised an eyebrow.

"You're one to talk, divorced man!" Wakaba glared back, shaking his pipe.

"Juvia is a Man!" Elfman declared, pumping his fists.

"Stop it with that man crap, I told you!" Ever waved her fan threateningly.

Lucy leaned against Loke. "So they actually got together, huh?"

Loke put an arm around her. "Seems like it. I'm kind of jealous that he can get away with wandering in shirtless with a girl and no one questions it."

Lucy blushed a deep read. "We do _not _need you doing that."

"Can we leave now?" they heard Gray asking.

"But Juvia wants to show off Gray-sama! Juvia is so proud!"

"They already know who I am! Who are you showing off to, anyway?"

"Juvia's love rivals, of course!"

"My, my…" Mira said with a laugh.

From across the guild, a cloak-wearing, staff-carrying man turned to Erza. "They're quite rowdy, aren't they?" His usual handkerchief across his mouth was pulled down due to the single bite strawberry cake Erza had generously shared with him, and he was smiling.

"I do understand her excitement, though," Erza said. "Although we of course could not make so much fanfare when Master allowed you to join the guild."

"I am still in his debt that he allowed me here. I have no complaints."

Erza let her fork fall to her empty plate and surveyed the guild. Juvia was still clinging to Gray, half singing joyous praises. Gray was trying to tug her out the door. Everyone else was in varying states of laughter, cups raised in the air. "It's a good place to be, don't you think?"

_A/N_: This chapter took me a surprisingly long time to write. I wanted to do the 'getting together' scene justice, but I was really torn on how comedic or otherwise to make it. In the end, I went for sincere to comedic afterwards, because that's what felt right. I'm curious to see what you guys think, though! Also, couldn't pass up throwing a little bit of Lolu and Jerza in there. _Especially _Jerza. Erza sharing her cake is some next-level dedication, man. In any case, until the next chapter! ~artemisfang


	6. Chapter 6

"…So, basically, nothing has changed. Except for the fact that Juvia is now the happiest woman in all of Fairy Tail," Lucy concluded.

From the table next to them, Juvia exclaimed, "Juvia is the happiest woman in all of Fiore!"

"In all of Fiore," Lucy amended.

"Hmm," Natsu frowned, narrowing his eyes. "I don't really get it." He had just come back from a mission with Happy and Lisanna, so Lucy had taken on the challenge of explaining the guild's latest relationship update to him. Natsu took a gulp of fire from his mug. "But basically, Gray's not bothered that Juvia is all over him, anymore?"

Lucy sighed. "Sure, we'll go with that."

"Does that mean he won't fight me anymore, too?" Natsu asked, jumping up. He looked legitimately concerned.

"Somehow I highly doubt that," Lucy muttered.

"What are you sayin' about me, Charcoal for Brains?" Gray stood up, his clothes discarded.

"I'm still mixed up with a bunch of weirdos, you know?" Lucy asked Loke.

He nodded understandingly, then grinned. "But it wouldn't be Fairy Tail otherwise, right?"

Natsu and Gray were wrestling on the ground, while Juvia watched over them. "Gray-sama is so dreamy when he defends Juvia's honor!"

"Uh, I don't think that's what he was doing…" Lucy said before giving Loke a warning look to keep out of the fray. The light disappeared from around his hand, and he scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.

"Cheering on your boyfriend is manly!" Elfman declared.

"You two are fighting again?" a voice thundered. Gray and Natsu found their heads smacked together by the guild's famous red-haired mage. "What have I told you countless time? Honestly, you're hopeless."

"We're sorry," Gray and Natsu said in sync.

Erza shook her head. "Well, in any case, I have a job that I'd like you to lend me your strength for. You too, Lucy. We'll reunite the old team."

"Juvia can come too, right?" Juvia asked.

Erza's lips twisted and she glanced to the side. "I already told the client that we would be a party of four mages, which was the max he wanted since it's such a high security job. I hate to go back on my word…"

"No one ever counts me," said Happy with a sigh.

"But Lucy-san will get to bring Loke-san!" Juvia protested.

"He's also her Spirit, that can't exactly be helped," Erza replied coolly. "Don't worry, the mission should only take us a couple days."

Gray seemed totally unaware of the problem. "I'll see you then, okay, Juvia?"

Juvia balled up her fists. "Juvia cannot believe Gray-sama!" Tears had already filled her eyes and she stalked off.

Gray scratched his head. "What was that all about?"

"I think I just got whiplash from that mood change." Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"I thought she was used to not coming on all of our missions by now?" Erza tilted her head. "After all, I'm not bringing Je—Mystogan with us, or anything of that kind. I'd tell you to go after her, Gray, but if we're to make the train we need to leave right now." Erza frowned. "Did I hurt one of my nakama? Perhaps someone should punch me."

"I don't think that'll be necessary, Erza…" Lucy shook her head.

"Ugh, we have to take a train?" questioned Natsu.

Gray shrugged. "I'll talk to Juvia afterwards. Let's get going!"

Lucy watched the scene playing out in front of her with a slight frown. She could hardly be considered an expert at relationships. Her first and only relationship was far from conventional; Lucy couldn't say herself how exactly she'd captured the heart of Fairy Tail's most well-known playboy. Despite not being in a position to give relationship advice, she couldn't shake the feeling that Juvia was probably more upset than Gray realized. She was worried that he'd take Juvia's utter devotion for granted. "Do something nice for her afterwards, okay, Gray?" she resigned herself to saying.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure," Gray agreed as the group walked out the door.

The hurried walk to the train station was uneventful, although Lucy could have sworn she caught a glimpse of something following them in the shadows. They settled themselves into a car, with Erza, Natsu, and Gray one seat, and Lucy, Loke, and Happy on the other. Within minutes Erza had knocked Natsu out to "put him out of his misery."

"Does anyone else hear a noise like water dripping?" Loke tilted his head.

"Huh?" Lucy looked up, and sure enough, water was piling onto the cabin floor. "What!" she shrieked.

"Gray-sama!" said the water, and Lucy yelped, pulling her legs up onto the seat. She leaned into Loke, one hand on her whip as she recovered from shock.

"Aiyah!" Gray stared at the water puddle, which grew in size until it became Juvia. Shock colored his face.

"You're going to die, Gray," Happy said conversationally, as he munched on a fish.

Gray's face had turned ashen. "J-Juvia! What are you doing here?"

"Juvia needs to talk to Gray-sama. Now." For a girl who spent most of her time with hearts in her eyes as she followed Gray around, Juvia could be deadly scary when she wanted to be.

Erza was watching this with her arms crossed and her head slightly bowed. Lucy wasn't entirely certain who she was irritated with.

Brooking no further discussion, Juvia grabbed Gray by the arm and dragged him to the opposite corner of the car. Everyone else watched in silence, not about to get in the way of Juvia's wrath.

_A/N_: Ooh cliffhanger. Scariest one I'll ever write, I imagine. I decided I wanted to do a bit in the way of exploring the dynamics of Gray/Juvia's relationship. I can't imagine that it'd be conventional—not that many Fairy Tail relationships would be. Bisca and Al have what I imagine to be the most normal relationship in Fairy Tail, and even theirs is a little crazy when you think of it by normal standards. Anyway, this chapter took me a bit longer than usual to write, but ah well. I'd really love to know what you guys think! Reviews and thoughts are always welcome. :) ~artemisfang


	7. Chapter 7

Everyone held their breath as Juvia glowered over Gray, who remained silent. Her grip on his hands prevented him from stripping.

Juvia finally spoke, and the cloud of anger around her began to dissipate. "Juvia does not mind if Gray-sama takes jobs on his own sometimes, even though Juvia wishes she could be with Gray-sama all the time. And even if Juvia thinks some rules are not fair, she respects Erza-san enough that she will obey them. But!" The angry cloud reformed, if only for a second. "Juvia wants Gray-sama to miss her. Juvia doesn't want to feel like Gray is trying to run away from her ever again." Juvia released Gray from her grasp. "Juvia wants to feel like Gray-sama wants Juvia as much as Juvia wants Gray-sama."

"Is that physically possible?" Lucy whispered, a sweat drop forming on the back of her head.

Gray looked to the side. "Oi, woman," and then he decided that sounded too rough, "Look, Juvia, I told you, sometimes I need my space. It's got nothing to do with running away from you. If I didn't want to be with you, I wouldn't be, right?"

"Juvia can…Juvia can _try _to give Gray-sama space when he needs it," Juvia acknowledged, "but right now Juvia is still worried."

The wheels in Gray's brain had apparently already been turning. He took Juvia's hands—the mere act of which made her blush, even under these circumstances—and asked, "You want to spend a lot of time together, right?"

"Of course, Gray-sama."

"But you said it yourself: you can't always come on missions with me. Sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. Believe me when I say, though, that I'll always be glad I have you to come home to. And as long as I have you to come home to, I'll have something extra to be fighting for."

Tears were in Juvia's eyes, but this time they seemed like happy ones. "Juvia believes Gray-sama."

"That was well done," Loke said appreciatively.

Lucy raised an eyebrow skeptically. "What, have you been giving him lessons?"

Even though Gray appeared slightly uncomfortable at first, Juvia pulled him in to an embrace. Hesitantly, he accepted it, putting his arms around her waist.

Erza nodded her head in approval. "He is finally growing up. It's good to see," she said quietly. She raised her voice as she said, "Juvia, perhaps we can ask our client when we arrive if he would be okay with one additional wizard beyond his four maximum."

"Seriously, I never count…" Happy said with a pout.

Erza chose to ignore him. "I cannot make this a common occurrence, but I feel it makes sense, since you are already here."

Juvia shook her head. "Juvia very much appreciates the gesture, Erza-san, but Juvia will go home now. Juvia has an idea for when Gray-sama comes back, and Juvia thinks she need to get to work now on it."

"Alright, then. We will see you upon our return." Erza smiled at the water mage.

Gray smiled at Juvia. "I'll see you soon."

Juvia leaned up and kissed him. Once again, it took Gray a moment before he responded. This prompted a chuckle from Loke, an eye roll and a slight smile from Lucy, another nod from Erza, and a "they liiiiike each other," from Happy.

As Juvia walked off, Gray returned to his seat, his cheeks bright red. "Just so we're clear, we're not going to discuss what just happened."

"Aw, why not? I'm sure your girlfriend would be very disappointed to hear that," Loke said with a cheeky grin.

"Shut up," Gray grumbled. His brain stuck on the word _girlfriend_. That's what Juvia was to him now. Not his friend. Not his nakama. His girlfriend. He hadn't seen that coming, even though he suspected she had since about the moment they first laid eyes on each other. But he knew now that his words were not a lie. She was a girl worth coming home to, and Gray would be lying if he said he wasn't already looking forward to seeing what their relationship had in store.

_A/N: _So there you have it! The conclusion of _Like Ice and Water_. There is a possibility I'll do a sequel. If you'd like that, you can let me know. :) Or you can just tell me what you thought of this! I'd like that, too.

I've got some one-shots sitting around, so I'll be uploading those soon. Mostly LoLu (because that pairing always needs more love) and of course some Gruvia.

In terms of major multi-chapter fanfic plans, I have a Jerza one in the works! Jerza is one of my favorite pairings, but I find them somewhat difficult to write accurately. If anyone would like to beta read what I have so far and tell me what you think, I'd love that! Just drop me a message.

Well, that's all for now! Thanks for reading this far! :D I'll see you in the next fanfic. ~artemisfang


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